Everyone jumped awake at the sound of Selene's scream.
Aiden's own heart was racing from his dream, but when he turned toward Selene, his panic sharpened.
She had thrown one hand into her bag and grabbed her eating fork.
Then she started stabbing her own arm.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Her face was pure panic and horror.
Aiden tore himself free of his sleeping bag and ran over. He grabbed for her arm, trying to hold it back, but Selene pulled through his grip and stabbed her shoulder again.
Jax and the others looked at Aiden, waiting for him to do something.
Selene's heart was racing out of control. Her breaths came ragged and chaotic, her eyes wide but not really seeing anything in front of her.
So Aiden did the first thing that came to mind.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Selene's fork came down on his shoulder.
Aiden winced, his toes curling from the sharp pain.
Still, he kept his voice as calm as he could.
"T-tell me about how Echosteel and Sunspire Pine work together."
It was weird.
Probably very weird.
But it was the first thing he thought of. Selene had been so excited talking about it before.
The fork came down again, stabbing into the arm he had wrapped around her shoulder. This time, she did not pull it back. Her body curled slightly as Aiden stayed pressed to her back, arms wrapped around her.
He could feel her heartbeat running wild.
His own heart was beating fast too, but the steadier rhythm almost seemed to give Selene something to follow.
"E-E-Echosteel is k-known t-too sing w-when it c-c-clashes with other w-weapons," Selene stammered.
Her voice was broken, staggered, and full of panic.
But she was talking.
She was not stabbing again.
Even though Aiden's arm burned with pain from the fork still stuck in it, he kept his voice slow.
"And how does a Sunspire Pine handle help a weapon made of Echosteel?"
"I-it helps with the vibrations."
Selene's panic began to lower.
The fork slipped from her hand.
She quietly grabbed Aiden's arm and pulled it against her chest like it was a rope she was desperately clinging to while dangling from a cliff.
"There you go," Aiden said softly. "You're awake now. You're among friends. It's okay. Nothing will hurt you."
He turned to look at Kaelen.
Kaelen came over and knelt beside them. His hand glowed for a moment, and the pain in Aiden's shoulder slowly faded as he healed both Aiden and Selene.
Jax, Liora, and Thalia spoke with the dwarf, the meerkat woman, and the others who had run over because of the commotion.
Aiden looked toward where the Oxwings had been.
They were walking now, the herd moving down the valley. Dust swirled on the wind behind them, coating several of the vehicles in a faint shimmering layer.
Even later, as they approached the gate and the others stepped off to get a spot in line, Aiden could see them glancing toward Selene.
She sat in the passenger seat beside him, silent and withdrawn.
Her panic attack that morning had terrified everyone.
It had also made them worry about her role in the group.
Jax had explained it to Aiden while they were packing up.
"A tank is usually in the heat of the fight more than anyone else. That means they take the biggest emotional toll from combat. If a tank breaks down, they can't do their job, and everyone else is in danger. Especially if they break down mid-fight."
As Aiden drove to find a space to park, Selene finally spoke.
"I-I'm sorry for worrying everyone."
Aiden glanced over at her.
She looked guilty, like a kid who had spilled water on a carpet.
He took a moment to think before answering.
"As much as I want to say it's fine and not to worry about it, I'm sure you know about a tank's toll."
Selene nodded silently, staring down at her feet as Aiden parked the vehicle.
They had about half a mile to walk before they reached the others.
Aiden stepped out, and Selene followed.
"The others are worried you may have another panic attack if we end up in a fight," Aiden said as they walked. "And if that happens, we may not be able to shift everything around to protect only you."
"I-I'm sorry," Selene said.
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
Aiden felt an odd pain in his chest.
He stopped walking and placed both hands on her shoulders.
"I know you are. What I want to know is what happened. I know it's personal, and I know it's sensitive, but getting it off your chest might help."
Selene nodded.
It was clear she was hesitant.
They ended up walking in silence for a full minute before she took a deep breath.
"W-what do you know about Tessegog?"
Aiden thought for a moment.
"Isn't it where you grew up?"
Selene nodded.
"Y-yes. Tessegog is sometimes called the monster continent because of something called the Dread Mist. It's a constant fog that exists in parts of Tessegog and creates monsters endlessly."
Aiden glanced at her, but did not interrupt.
"F-for this reason, nobles in Tessegog are assigned by strength, not merit. They are charged with fighting against mist breaks to keep the other continents safe."
Aiden's eyebrows rose.
He had known Tessegog was dangerous, but there was a difference between knowing something was dangerous and hearing that nobles were basically selected by how well they could hold back endless monsters.
"M-my father is Viscount Quill Drakemire," Selene continued. "He is known for being one of the nobles on the frontline. Our territory stands on the very edge of fully claimed human land. Even growing up, he would come home soaked in blood from killing dozens of monsters every day."
Aiden tried to imagine that.
Dozens of monsters.
Every day.
A frontline drenched in blood.
The kind of carnage was so far beyond what someone who grew up on a mountain could properly picture.
He stayed quiet and let Selene continue.
"M-my father once met an oracle and received a prophecy. It said he would father a cursed child. A child cursed with unnatural strength. They would be unable to control themselves and would bring havoc to House Drakemire if he continued to venture into the mist."
Aiden looked at Selene with wide eyes.
She nodded.
"I-I was born normal. Even my left arm was normal. B-but when I turned ten, I got my soul skill, and my arm…"
She trailed off.
Aiden understood.
"Your arm changed," he said quietly. "And that completed the prophecy."
Selene nodded.
She looked up at the sky as if searching for a specific cloud.
Aiden followed her gaze. She was staring at a soft, blobby cloud drifting overhead.
"M-my mom, dad, and brothers all tried to play it off," she said. "They said it didn't change anything. But I knew they were lying."
Aiden raised an eyebrow and stopped walking.
"Now hold on. You don't know that they—"
He wanted to continue, but Selene turned back to him.
The look in her eyes stopped him.
It was almost pitying, like she was looking at a child who did not know how cruel the world could be.
"W-when I was twelve, I had a nightmare and woke up screaming. When my dad got to my doorway, he drew his sword. He only stopped moments before he cut me in half."
Aiden stared at her.
"Since then," Selene said, "he refused to even look at me."
Aiden's face must have said everything, because Selene turned and continued walking.
"There could have been something behind you," Aiden said weakly. "Or… I don't know. Something."
He was trying to rationalize it.
Trying to find some version of the story that was less awful.
Selene shook her head.
"There was nothing else in the room. Just me."
Her voice grew quieter.
"Worse still, two years ago, I snapped my brother's arm in a sparring match. He was supposed to be the next great swordsman of the family, and I basically crippled him. I ran away from home shortly after that."
Selene had a look in her eyes that Aiden did not personally know, but had seen in others.
A deep sadness.
A melancholy that came when someone had fully given up hoping for something to happen.
Aiden sped up to catch her.
Then he grabbed her left arm and placed her hand around his right wrist.
"Snap my arm," he said firmly.
Selene turned to him, startled.
"W-wait—"
"I said snap my arm. Do it. Right now."
Selene looked between her hand and his face.
"W-what? No. I-I'm not—"
Aiden pulled Selene closer by the arm wrapped around his wrist until they were only inches apart.
"You can snap my arm," Aiden said, staring at her. "But you haven't. That's control."
Selene froze.
"So what if you broke your brother's arm? You didn't break mine, and I'm willing to bet I'm more fragile than your brother."
Aiden tightened his jaw.
"You are in control of your strength, Selene Drakemire. And anyone who says otherwise, I would be happy to run through with my spear."
Selene's face turned red.
Her eyes darted around, desperately searching for anything other than Aiden's face to look at.
Then she nodded.
Aiden pulled away, and they continued toward the group.
After a few steps, he noticed Selene was no longer beside him.
He turned back.
Selene had not moved.
She stood where he had left her, staring up at the sky with a starstruck expression. Her face was red as a tomato.
"Uh, Selene? Are you coming?"
She startled as if she had been snapped out of a trance, then quickly caught up with him as they returned to the group.
"So smooth," Will said, shaking his head. "So oblivious."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Aiden asked.
Ahead of them, Kaelen waved them over.